BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Brewers
Association (BA), the trade association representing small and
independent American craft brewers, today released 2013 data on U.S.
craft brewing1 growth. As a primary driver of growth in the
beer industry, craft brewers saw an 18 percent rise in volume2,
representing a total of 15.6 million barrels, and a 20 percent increase
in retail dollar value.

In 2013, craft brewers reached 7.8 percent volume of the total U.S. beer
market, up from 6.5 percent the previous year. Additionally, craft
dollar share of the total U.S. beer market reached 14.3 percent in 2013,
as retail dollar value from craft brewers was estimated at $14.3
billion, up from $11.9 billion in 2012.

“With this stellar year, craft has now averaged 10.9 percent growth over
the last decade,” said Bart Watson, staff economist, Brewers
Association. “Beer drinkers are excited about what small and independent
brewers are offering and that is evidenced by the rising production and
sales of the craft segment.”

Additionally, the number of operating breweries in the U.S. in 2013
totaled 2,822, with 2,768 of those considered craft, demonstrating that
craft breweries make up 98 percent of all U.S. operating breweries. This
count includes 413 new brewery openings and 44 closings. Combined with
already existing and established breweries and brewpubs, craft brewers
provided 110,273 jobs, an increase of almost 2,000 from the previous
year.

“Openings of brewing facilities continue to far outpace closings,
demonstrating that the demand for high-quality, local, fuller-flavored
beers is only increasing,” added Watson. “The geographic diversity of
openings and production growth shows the national nature of this
movement. In towns all across the country, craft brewers are creating
jobs, delivering innovative products, advancing the beverage of beer and
strengthening their local economies.”

Note: Numbers are preliminary. The Brewers Association will
release the list of Top 50 craft brewing companies and overall brewing
companies by volume sales on March 31. Additionally, a more extensive
analysis will be released during the Craft
Brewers Conference in Denver, Colorado from April 8-11. The full
2013 industry analysis will be published in the May/June 2014 issue of The
New Brewer, highlighting regional trends and sales by
individual breweries.

1 The definition of a craft brewer as stated by the
Brewers Association: An American craft brewer is small, independent, and
traditional. Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or
less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is
attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Independent:
Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or
equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that
is not itself a craft brewer. Traditional: A brewer that has a majority
of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from
traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation.
Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.